2005 - Week-3, Top-10

High School Baseball Teams in

Northwest Indiana: 4-21-2005

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

(4-21-2005) As rain and cold again stopped play late this week, three teams (LC, Andrean and LaPorte) all stood tall. Griffith got 10-runned twice and Kankakee Valley awaited the big tests after turning back CP and Griffith. Clark and Gavit continued to roll against semi-tough schedules that make them hard to judge. The most deceptive records are owned by Valparaiso (0-8), which will be back near .500 by season's end, and Boone Grove (5-4), a 2A school that has wins over 4A Highland, 4A Merrillville and 4A Lowell and losses to 3A top-10s Kankakee Valley (10-0) and Griffith (7-3). Here's our week-2, top-10 teams:

1. LaPORTE (12-1)

25-7 (2004), 22-10-1 (2003), 20-9 (2002) 28-2 (2001)

LaPORTE - One of the state's dominant teams and, when ace left-hander Andy Weeks (5-0) pitches, a clear-cut No. 1. This is basically the same team LaPorte has had for two years now and it shows in how they blow games open. The Slicers have scored 10 or more runs nine times and the only loss was 6-1 to McCutcheon in Lafayette.

LaPorte smoked Merrillville 9-2 Monday and spanked Chesterton 7-1 Wednesday (4-19-2005). In NW Indiana, only Lake Central and Andrean appear to be anywhere near them.

The truly dangerous thing about LaPorte is that their bar is permanently set at an impossibly high level. With eight state titles, 38 consecutive 20-win seasons and 46 consecutive winning seasons, the Slicers have no true goal other than the state title game. Many teams in NW Indiana are OK winning 20 and beating local rivals. In LaPorte, an 11-1 start means absolutely nothing. They get asked why they aren't 12-0. Fans say, 'How come you didn't win them all???????'

LaPorte will welcome the chance to face LC ace Brett Summers (4-0) and undefeated Lake Central next week.

2. Andrean (11-1)

27-8 (2004), 26-8 (2003), 27-7 (2002), 25-5 (2001)

MERRILLVILLE - Andrean crushed Griffith 10-0 on a rainy, cold field Wednesday. Brad King (4-0) has come on to fill the No. 2 pitching slot with shutouts against Bishop Noll and Griffith.

The 59ers did lose 9-2 to Chesterton last Saturday (4-16-2005) but they bounced back with two Lake Athletic Conference (LAC) wins this week. Andrean's start has been better than even they probably expected. Who is Nick Murphy and how is he 3-0?? The 59ers have won six games by eight runs or more and have allowed just 31 runs (2.8 per game) all season. Here's another team that has very high expectations after reaching the state title game in 2004.

Andrean has a big weekend planned with Kankakee Valley (10-0) Friday and Crown Point (6-2) Saturday, but the weather forecast was very dismal. Where the KV postponement (almost a certainty) will be rescheduled is interesting since the 59ers play in what is now (since Horace Mann closed) a four team sectional with two very weak teams in Gary Roosevelt and Wirt, and one strong one, Kankakee Valley.

3. Lake Central (11-0)

24-7 (2004), 23-6-1 (2003), 21-9 (2002) 21-10 (2001)

ST. JOHN - Lake Central outscored their first nine opponents 89-17 and then needed a miracle to beat Crown Point 3-2.

A dropped third strike kept the game going and LC mounted a two-out rally to win 3-2 Monday (4-18-2005) on hits by Matt Dodaro and Ryan Frost. 6-5 right-hander Brett Summers (3-0) has not been a surprise but Brandon Peters (4-0) and Steve Apostol (3-0) have been. Maybe I'm being naive there. Nobody this side of Brownsburg has more talent than LC, no matter what they tell you. Soph SS Troy Russell is a coming star.

The Indians nudged Portage 4-2 Wednesday in the cold to stay atop the DAC. One worry is that LC did not handle Crown Point left-hander Matt Jansen very well and they'll see a better lefty in LaPorte's Andy Weeks (5-0) next week.

Baseball superpowers Lake Central and LaPorte meeting twice each spring (they had never met in the regular season before last year) has become the highlight of the Northwest Indiana baseball season.

4. Kankakee Valley (11-0)

19-14 (2004), 14-17 (2003), 21-10 (2002), 17-11 (2001)

DeMOTTE - Kankakee Valley escaped a two-day (darkness delay) win over Hobart 9-8 as the Kougar offense came through again in the eight inning win. The Kougars' pitching is a little thin without injured right-hander Shane Byers (broken left hand), so they're going to have to rock the house to keep winning. Left-hander Gentry Brown (4-0) has not been tested in a close game yet. All four of his starts have been KV 10-run wins.

KV has scored nine or more runs nine times in 10 games. Jeremy Kunzman lifted two homers in the Kougars 16-6 win over Griffith last week (4-15-2005). Kunzman had five homers in 10 games. KV's defense is shaky. The big Kats had nine errors in three games last week and that dog won't hunt much longer. Unless the Weather Channel is doing some serious lying, KV and Andrean are both headed for 'Post-ponement City' this Friday. A few days off might chill both team's hot bats.

But, again, I have seen the future and it is a sophomore Kankakee Valley left-handed hitting outfielder named Matt Dobin, who had 16 hits in his first 22 at bats this year.

5. Crown Point (6-2)

17-11 (2004), 23-10 (2003), 13-12 (2002), 15-12-1 (2001)

CROWN POINT - The Bulldogs have played very well in the last two weeks despite a nightmare final inning against Lake Central, in a 3-2 loss to their arch-rival. Lefty Matt Jansen (2-1) actually had the final batter struck out but it was a wild pitch and LC rallied to win with two late runs. Sometimes a loss like that drives a team to great heights but that's a spin worthy of GOP Iraqi war justifications.

Let's tell the truth. The Bulldogs need to quickly be in a one run game again and win it this time. The stink of that 3-2 loss wont wash off any other way.

That close game didn't happen Wednesday (4-19-5) when the Bulldogs were far too much for last place Michigan City 13-0 in Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) play.

CP's pitching has been up to expectations. The really 'Big-3' of 6-3 Jimmy Wilson (2-0), 6-3 left-hander Matt Jansen (2-1) and 6-8 Adam Quinn (1-1) all have pitched well their last time out and 6-2 sophomore Matt Ernest makes it a Big-4. But the real key is the defense of the Bulldogs, who made just two errors in their first eight games. He's only a sophomore but I'm already getting tired of talking about how good Ernest is. The varsity football and basketball player is not only a promising pitcher, he's clearly the best defensive shortstop

CP has had in many years and he runs the bases like a big dog.

Second baseman Nick Ullman was on base four times and scored three runs against Griffith in 12-2 win last Saturday (4-16-5). Lost in the loss to LC was 131 pitches and 11 strikeouts from Jansen.

CP won't be happy if Friday's game against Portage in the 6,700-seat US Steelyard pro ballpark is rained out, as the weather forecast insists it will be. Local fans will also be bummed out if the first meeting of Crown Point and Andrean in this decade (11 a.m. Saturday morning) is also rained out, as is expected.

6. Griffith (8-3)

19-14 (2004), 17-12 (2003), 17-15 (2002), 27-7 (2001)

GRIFFITH - Griffith knew things could get rocky when they faced Munster, Crown Point, KV and Andrean in a weeks' time. The Panthers went 1-3 in those games and lost by 10-runs in the three losses. Griffith has better pitching than the last 10 days would indicate they clearly lack the ace pitcher that LC and LaPorte have.

The Panthers are also better defensively than they showed last week. Youth may be showing in the sense that when things go south, they go all the way to 10-run land. That won't happen later in the year and with Griffith offense, they'll pull off some big rallies. The Panthers were shut out 10-0 in five innings by Andrean Wednesday and, with all due respect to the 59ers Brad King (3-0), that's a batting slump and it wont last forever.

A couple of postponements and a few days off can't hurt here. The Panthers may need a little break in the schedule.

7. Chesterton (5-5)

19-9 (2004), 8-20 (2003), 9-18 (2002), 16-15 (2001)

CHESTERTON - The Trojans hung a first loss on 3A No.1 Andrean by a convincing 9-2 score last Saturday (4-16-5) and they nudged Valparaiso 4-3 Monday before getting leveled 7-1 by 4A No. 2 LaPorte Wednesday night (4-20-5) at the Steelyard in Gary.

Lefty Josh Lambert (2-2) got robbed in a 2-0 loss at Crown Point and he struck out nine to beat Valparaiso. The Trojans losses so far are to Huntington North, Lake Central, Crown Point and Lafayette Jefferson, all highly-regarded 4A schools. The Trojans have wins over Harrison, Bishop Noll and now Andrean. Nobody's played a tougher schedule so far. Big freshman Zack Novak is batting 5^th in the order after a 3-for-3 against Jeff.

Unknown Kevin Scott (2-0) has defeated Jefferson and Andrean and first baseman Casey Martin smoked out two home runs against Andrean. If three-sport star and leadoff man Matt Maple keeps getting on base, these boys wont face many teams they can't beat.

There is a difference in the level of play between who Chesterton faces and teams like Gavit (12-2), who are not often challenged. If the Trojans continue to get pitching, they are a sectional and regional contender because of the level of athletic ability in the starting lineup and the schedule they play.

8. Merrillville (5-6)

16-11 (2004), 7-20 (2003), 21-7(2002), 19-12 (2001)

MERRILLVILLE - Okay, so they have not been consistent. Wins last week 2-1 over Portage and 5-3 over Highland were followed by a 9-2 loss to 4A No. 2 LaPorte.

The pitching is still not ready for prime time. The Pirates gave up a late grand slam to lose 9-8 to Boone and they trailed LaPorte just 4-2 before the Slicers shut the door with a five-run seventh. Junior Matt Paul (2-0) has won his only two starts and Mike Martinez did pitch wins over Portage and Valpo 4-3 Wednesday (4-20-2005).

But Merrillville may not have the pitching to stop everybody every day. The outfield of Jimmy Reitz, Bo McClendon and Darryl Evans is going to have to hit it high and watch it fly. This team may improve dramatically in warm weather, if we every get any.

9. Bishop Noll (3-4)

21-11 (2004), 16-10 (2003), 20-10 (2002), 14-15 (2001)

HAMMOND - Noll shut out Hobart 4-0 last week behind Matt Chibelcki (2-0) and Danny Faulkner (0-2) will get some breaks soon.

Nobody really believes that because Clark and Gavit excel against mediocre schedules, that Noll, playing a tough schedule, isn't still the better team.

Noll has lost to Chesterton, Munster, Andrean and Lake Central, hardly weak sisters. As always, watch how many games Noll loses to Class 2A teams. They probably don't want to say this but the Warriors are almost a mirror image of last year's team when 2004 Noll started 3-8, played bad defense in April, found religion and were born again. Don't judge baseball teams in April.

Remember that Noll does not have to be better than teams like Andrean and Lake Central. They only have to beat Boone Grove (5-4) and Hanover Central (3-4).

And injured Ryan Bobos (10-1 last year) will be back off injury next month.

10. Clark (8-3)

24-5 (2004), 21-8 (2003), 20-5 (2002), 16-9-1 (2001)

HAMMOND - Clark rolled over Hammond 19-3 and put down Morton 8-2. Drew Polak struck out eight in an 11-2 romp over Wheeler.

The Pioneers, who rolled up 19 hits on helpless Hammond and 12 hits on Wheeler (4-6), did take Andrean to extra innings losing 7-6 two weeks ago.

The Pioneers are coming off three consecutive 20-win seasons and they are winning decisively. But while Chesterton is playing Harrison, Jefferson and Lake Central, Clark is playing Chicago Washington and St. Francis DeSales. No one game should be held against any team and that's why Clark is still here after a frightening 13-10 seven error loss to Lake Station. It's not about who you beat, it's about who you play.

Clark has a lot more to prove.

the OUTSIDERS...

1.) Valparaiso (0-9)

16-13 (2004), 25-5 (2003), 27-5 (2002), 26-4 (2001)

VALPARAISO - The ultimate outsider. There's no way this team should be 0-9. They have far more talent than this record indicates. The Vikings have just two seniors and they barely lost 4-3 to Merrillville in nine innings Wednesday (4-20-2005). Clint Krysa (0-4), who went all nine innings Wednesday is a quality pitcher. If Valpo played an LAC Blue Division schedule, they'd be unbeaten.

Just keep watching. The Vikings will be back near the .500 mark by the end of the season.

2.) Gavit (12-2)

2004 (16-13), 2003 (9-14), 2002 (15-12), 2001 (11-17)

HAMMOND - Jake Galik (3-0) got the win as the Gladiators stomped defenseless Whiting 9-2 Wednesday (4-20-2005). Gavit has blown out Wirt 10-0, nipped East Chicago 2-1, blasted Morton 7-3 and nipped Hanover Central 4-2.

But the LAC Blue is one of the weakest athletic conferences in the state. I'm not saying Gavit is no good. Give veteran 300-win coach Jerry Blastick credit for what appears to be a 20-win season in the making. They have experienced players and good athletes. I'm just saying they have not proven they are top-10 material yet. Why? Look at that schedule. They aren't playing Brownsburg.

Remember last year's sectional final score: Griffith 10, Morton 3.

Teams like Gavit and Clark are making the case for a Lake County baseball championship tournament. As part of the RailCat Challenge, get the 24 Lake County high schools together. Give eight of them a first round bye. Play eight first round games -- one Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Play eight second round games the next Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Play the four quarterfinals the next Thursday and Friday night and have a Lake County Final-4 on the third Saturday. Why not? That way, the Clarks and Mortons could prove their worth against the Merrillvilles and Lake Centrals.

3. Munster (6-5)

2004 (23-6), 2003 (20-10), 2002 (25-9) 2001 (26-8)

MUNSTER - Munster usually just has to stand up and smile to get in local Top-10s (they are considered one of a few home teams to local TV, radio and newspapers) but the wild horses, who started the season at 2-4, are starting to overcome pitching problems.

The Mustangs lost just 3-2 to Andrean, which is a lot better than beating Valparaiso 12-11. Veteran 400-win coach Bob Shinkan knows the schedule will help them down the line. Paul Molayter (3-0) has had a lot of offensive support. Mike Sealy (1-2) did well in the 4-3 win over Bishop Noll. This does not appear to be a 20-win season but here is LC's only challenger come playoff time.

Past youth league results don't lie. Munster has some very good young players on the way.

But are these Mustangs going to be thoroughbreds in 2005?

Don't say 'no' until they face South Bend powerhouse Clay (8-0) Saturday night in the Steelyard.

On deck...

(Lafayette) Jefferson (5-2)

19-13 (2004), 23-8 (2003), 21-8 (2002), 18-12 (2001)

LAFAYETTE - In the last 10 years, the Lafayette area has won more state baseball titles (6) than any other region and relatively small Tippecanoe County, with only five schools (Jefferson, West Lafayette, McCutcheon, Harrison and Lafayette Catholic) has won more baseball state titles (4) than any other metro area.

Lafayette (61,000 people) is a lot bigger than LaPorte (21,000) but Lafayette and LaPorte both have eight state baseball titles.

But recently, Jefferson has not been a player. The Bronchos won the elite Lafayette area 4A sectional title (over McCutcheon and Harrison) for the first time in 16 years last seasons. Jefferson returns three starting pitchers and Andrew Burke (2-0), Heath Riley (2-1) and Matt Denis (1-1) are off to good starts. Denis struck out 10 in a 6-3 loss to Zionsville and fanned 10 in a 9-0 win over Logansport.

The only losses are to Zionsville (6-0) and LaPorte (12-1). This is a speedy team with 22 steals in seven games. Jeff defeated Chesterton 14-4 on April 9 and they play at Crown Point the night of May 13.

Jeff is in the unparalleled Hoosier Crossroads Conference with the only multiple Class 4A state champ McCutcheon (1999 and 2003) and the only team to reach the state title game the last two years, Brownsburg, generally considered the state's No. 1 team.

What's the point? Odds are against Jefferson getting out of the sectional.

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